Pregnancy & Lactation: Essential Oils to Avoid or Restrict

Essential Oils to AVOID During Pregnancy & Lactation (due to toxic components listed to the right of each essential oil)

• Anise, Pimpinella anisum — trans-anethole
• Anise (star), Illicium verum — trans-anethole
• Araucaria, Neocallitropsis pancheri — beta-eudesmol
• Artemisia vestita, Artemisia vestita — alpha + beta-thujone• Atractylis, Atractyllodes lancea — beta-elemene + beta-eudesmol
• Birch (sweet), Betula lenta — methyl salicylate
• Black Seed, Nigella sativa — thymoquinone
• Buchu (diosphenol ct.), Agathosma betulina ct. diosphenol — alpha + beta-pulegone
• Buchu (pulegone ct.), Agathosma crenulara ct. pulegone — beta-pulegone
• Calamint (lesser), Calamintha nepeta — beta-pulegone
• Carrot Seed, Daucus carota — not identified
• Cassia, Cinnamomum cassia — not identified
• Chaste Tree, Vitex agnus castus — not identified
• Cinnamon Bark, Cinnamomum verum — not identified
• Costus, Saussurea costus — costunolide + dehydrocostus lactone
• Cypress (blue), Callitris intratropica — beta-eudesmol
• Dill Seed (Indian), Anethum sowa — apiole (dill)
• Fennel (bitter), Foeniculum vulgare — trans-anethole
• Fennel (sweet), Foeniculum vulgare — trans-anethole
• Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium — camphor
• Genipi, Artemisia genepi — alpha-thujone
• Hibawood, Thujopsis dolobrata — beta-thujaplicin
• Ho Leaf (camphor ct.), Cinnamomum camphora ct. camphor — camphor
• Hyssop (pinocamphone ct.), Hyssopus officinalis ct. pinocamphone — pinocamphones
• Lanyana, Artemisia afra — alpha + beta-thujone
• Lavender (Spanish), Lavandula stoechas — camphor
• Mugwort (camphor/thujone ct.), Artemisia vulgaris ct. camphor/thujone — alpha-thujone
• Mugwort (chrysanthenyl acetate ct.), Artemisia vulgaris ct. chrysanthenyl acetate — alpha + beta-thujone
• Mugwort (great), Artemisia arborescens — beta-thujone
• Myrrh, Commiphora myrrha — beta-elemene + furanodiene
• Myrtle (aniseed), Backhousia anisata — trans-anethole
• Oregano, Origanum vulgare — not identified
• Parsley Leaf, Petroselinum crispum — apiole (dill) + possibly p-menthatriene
• Parsley Seed, Petroselinum crispum — apiole (parsley)
• Pennyroyal, Hedeoma pulegioides, Mentha pulegium — beta-pulegone
• Rue, Ruta graveolens — not identified
• Sage (Dalmatian), Salvia officinalis — alpha + beta-thujone
• Sage (Spanish), Salvia lavandulifolia — sabinyl acetate
• Savin, Juniperus sabina — sabinyl acetate
• Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare — alpha + beta-thujone
• Thuja, White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis — alpha + beta-thujone
• Western Red Cedar, Thuja plicata — alpha + beta thujone
• Wintergreen, Gaultheria fragrantissima — methyl salicylate
• Wormwood (all chemotypes), Artemisia absinthium — thujones + sabinyl acetate
• Wormwood (sea), Artemisia maritime — alpha-thujone
• Wormwood (white), Artemisia herba-alba — alpha + beta-thujone + camphor
• Yarrow (green), Achillea nobilis — sabinyl acetate
• Zedoary, Curcuma zedoaria — not identified

Essential Oils to RESTRICT During Pregnancy & Lactation (due to toxic constituents listed to the right of each essential oil – there is a maximum dermal dose)

The maximum dermal dose for the below essential oils is calculated to allow for whole-body, once-daily application. This limit was determined for skin sensitization, and a safe concentration in pregnancy.

• Basil (lemon), Ocimum x citriodorum — citral — 1.4% dilution
• Boswellia papyrifera — octyl acetate — 1.7% dilution
• Champaca (Orange) Absolute, Michelia champaca — 2-phenylethanol — 17.5% dilution
• Lemon Balm (Australian), Eucalyptus staigeriana — citral — 3.4% dilution
• Lemon Leaf, Citrus x limon — citral — 1.2% dilution
• Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus — citral — 0.7% dilution
• May Chang, Litsea cubeba — citral — 0.8% dilution
• Melissa, Melissa officinals — citral — 0.9% dilution
• Myrtle (honey), Maleleuca teretifolia — citral — 0.9% dilution
• Myrtle (lemon), Backhousia citriodora — citral — 0.7% dilution
• Nasturtium Absolute, Tropaeolum majus — benzyl isothiocyanate — 0.26% dilution
• Tea Tree (lemon-scented), Leptospermum peteronii — citral — 0.8% dilution
• Thyme (lemon), Thymus lanuginosus var. citriodorum — citral — 3.7% dilution
• Verbena (lemon), Aloysia citriodora — citral — 0.9% dilution

#EssentialOilsToAvoidDuringPregnancy #EssentialOilsToRestrictDuringPreganancy #EssentialOilsToAvoidDuringLactation #EssentialOilsToRestrictDuringLactation